¹The LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre , as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day .

²He lifted up his eyes and looked , and saw that three men stood near him . When he saw them , he ran to meet them from the tent door , and bowed himself to the earth,

³and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight , please don’t go away from your servant .

⁴Now let a little water be fetched , wash your feet , and rest yourselves under the tree .

⁵I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart . After that you may go your way , now that you have come to your servant .”

They said , “Very well , do as you have said .”

⁶Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah , and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine meal , knead it , and make cakes .”[#18:6 1 seah is about 7 liters or 1.9 gallons or 0.8 pecks]

⁷Abraham ran to the herd , and fetched a tender and good calf , and gave it to the servant . He hurried to dress it .

⁸He took butter , milk , and the calf which he had dressed , and set it before them . He stood by them under the tree , and they ate.

⁹They asked him, “Where is Sarah , your wife?”

He said, “There , in the tent.”

¹⁰He said , “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year ; and behold , Sarah your wife will have a son .”

Sarah heard in the tent door , which was behind him .

¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old , well advanced in age . Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

¹²Sarah laughed within herself , saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure , my lord being old also ?”

¹³The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh , saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old ?’

¹⁴Is anything too hard for the LORD ? At the set time I will return to you , when the season comes around , and Sarah will have a son .”

¹⁵Then Sarah denied it , saying, “I didn’t laugh ,” for she was afraid .

He said, “No , but you did laugh .”

¹⁶The men rose up from there , and looked toward Sodom . Abraham went with them to see them on their way .

¹⁷The LORD said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do ,

¹⁸since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation , and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him ?

¹⁹For I have known him , to the end that he may command his children and his household after him , that they may keep the way of the LORD , to do righteousness and justice ; to the end that the LORD may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him .”

²⁰The LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great , and because their sin is very grievous ,

²¹I will go down now , and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me . If not , I will know .”

²²The men turned from there , and went toward Sodom , but Abraham stood yet before the LORD .

²³Abraham came near , and said, “Will you consume the righteous with the wicked ?

²⁴What if there are fifty righteous within the city ? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it ?

²⁵May it be far from you to do things like that , to kill the righteous with the wicked , so that the righteous should be like the wicked . May that be far from you . Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right ?”

²⁶The LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city , then I will spare the whole place for their sake .”

²⁷Abraham answered , “See now , I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, although I am dust and ashes .

²⁸What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous ? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five ?”

He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there .”

²⁹He spoke to him yet again , and said , “What if there are forty found there ?”

He said , “I will not do it for the forty’s sake .”

³⁰He said , “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry , and I will speak . What if there are thirty found there ?”

He said , “I will not do it if I find thirty there .”

³¹He said , “See now , I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there ?”

He said , “I will not destroy it for the twenty ’s sake .”

³²He said , “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry , and I will speak just once more . What if ten are found there ?”

He said , “I will not destroy it for the ten ’s sake .”

³³The LORD went his way as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place .